A wide variety of designs for scuba gear have been disclosed in the prior art to facilitate use of the gear by divers. It is of course important for the diver to be able to rapidly and effectively manipulate the scuba gear for providing an under water source of oxygen or air to the diver, for regulating buoyancy of the diver under water and for permitting the diver to return to the surface, possibly under emergency conditions.
In the event that the diver desires to return to the surface, particularly under emergency conditions, the safety of the diver is of course of primary importance. However, it is also desirable that he be above to either keep the scuba gear with him as he returns to the surface or assure that the scuba gear will return to the surface by itself because of its relative expense.
As is well known at least among those who commonly use such gear for under water diving, the term "scuba" is an acronym for self contained, under water breathing apparatus. Scuba apparatus or gear commonly includes a tank containing compressed air in order to provide the diver with an underwater supply of air or oxygen. The tank is commonly mounted on the diver's upper torso or back by means of a suitable back pack. Scuba gear also commonly includes a buoyancy compensator which the diver wears and can selectively pressurize in order to adjust his buoyancy under water.
Scuba gear for use in situations of the type outlined above was disclosed in a copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 664,238, entitled SCUBA GEAR WITH COMBINED FLOTATION AND TRANSPORT DEVICE, filed on Oct. 24, 1984 by the inventor of the present invention. The above reference related to a back pack including quick release means so that the diver could readily free himself from the compressed air tank. An inflatable transport raft was secured to the tank for the purpose of returning the tank to the surface and also to provide transport means for the diver on the surface of the water. That copending application is incorporated herein as though set out in its entirety to assure a more complete understanding of the present invention since certain features from that reference are included in the following disclosure. Various combinations of components for scuba gear have been disclosed in other patents. For example, Maness U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,234 disclosed a personal flotation device containing two structurally and functionally independent chambers for assisting pilots and other passengers in heliocopters and the like to escape after crashing in the ocean. The Maness patent also disclosed a rebreathing tube to permit the wearer to use the flotation device as an emergency air supply.
Other prior art references include, for example, Walters U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,616 issued Apr. 12, 1977; Scott U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,418 issued Dec. 4, 1979; and Roberts U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,140 issued July 24, 1973.
The Scott patent disclosed apparatus for regulating pressurization of a buoyancy compensator from a tank of compressed air. The apparatus of the type disclosed by Scott also has commonly included means for permitting the diver to manually inflate the buoyancy device by blowing into a mouthpiece associated therewith. Emergency sources of compressed gas have also been commonly provided for use by the diver.
The Roberts patent disclosed the use of inflation apparatus with a quick release coupling for interconnecting a compressed air tank with a buoyancy compensator in the form of an inner tube. The buoyancy compensator disclosed in the Roberts patent is of a type fitting about the diver's neck and sometimes referred to as a "horse collar".
The Walters patent disclosed similar scuba gear with an inflatable buoyancy compensator secured to the compressed air tank and mounted on the diver's back by the same back pack used for the tank. Through this combination, the diver could inflate the buoyancy compensator in order to adjust his effective under water weight or buoyancy. As noted in the Walters patent, it is not always possible to accurately predict the amount of extra weight a diver must wear in order to achieve neutral or slightly negative buoyancy. Accordingly, buoyancy compensators are commonly provided with inflation apparatus permitting the diver to inflate the buoyancy compensator as necessary in order to establish and maintain desired buoyancy.
In addition to problems of the type referred to above, it is also desirable for a diver to be able to deal with or overcome difficulties in a variety of other situations. For example, when a diver removes his compressed air tank before returning to the surface, under emergency conditions or otherwise, it is desirable to provide flotation means for returning the tank and other scuba gear components to the surface. At the same time, it is also desirable to provide flotation means for assisting the diver himself in returning to the surface. In the combination of the Walters patent, it is noted again that the buoyancy compensator remained permanently attached to the tank and thus was not available for assisting the diver.
Also, in a number of designs for scuba gear, a buoyancy compensator surrounds the torso of the diver and, upon being inflated, tends to interfere with the diver's underwater movements, particularly movement of his arms.
Otherwise, it has also been found desirable if not necessary to provide other improvements in scuba gear for facilitating use and manipulation of the gear by divers in underwater conditions. Accordingly, there has been found to remain a need for improved scuba gear capable of facilitating operation of the gear under water and to make it easier for divers to return to the surface when desired or necessary.